Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-12-02
ONE THANKSGIVING.
BY EVA BEST.
IRON tho Detroit Free Press

10 IuOuSduN ehAu %
we're to give a grand supper on this
Thanksgiving Day-which waS'
also, the thirtieth anniversary OF
our wedding.
"Deary me-" l thought, peerlng
into the oven to see how the turkeys
were getting on. ~ can't believe
it has been thirty years since Tom
and | stood up before Preacher
Censor to get married-it really
doesn't seem that long but Preach
er Censor has been dead and gone
these twenty years. Toms hair is
AZ white as the -four at the mill,
and well don't feel so rery old
vet, and wouldn't realize the flight
OF time so much if l hadn't Jamie,
here, with me-" and I glanced at
our only child-a man now, IN
wears. but to me always a child
for he had never grown in stature
since ten long years ago, when they
brought him in maugled and bleed
ing, his feet crippled for life caused
by fall from a beam in the mill.
thought it would kill me, at
first, to see my once active, bonny,
bright darling tramping around on
crntches; but somehow | got used
to it as years passed us both by
90 used to it, indeed, that when
jamie asked me that Thanksgiving
morning If | wonld take Dora for
my daughter, fared up at him
and answered him more sharply
than | should have thought posi-
bic for me to answer my idolized
boy.
What right had he TO leave me
for Dora Not that l disliked the
girl, though she was a t'aDge sort
of body, living first at one house
then at another. Our neighbOrs
were all working people, and man.
aged to get along without hired
help, except feld.hands or some
such man-labor; it WAS only at
house-cleaning times that Dora was
needed steadily, or when sewing
was going TO be done, at marriages
or funerals. 1t was hap.hazzard
way of getting ones bread, but
Dora was always busy for she was
as handy at boys work as any lad
in the villages, and had the adj
want &c of being more intelligent.
Dora would be just the wife tor my
son: she was energetic, robust,
strong and smart, while he was the
crippled son Of Woodworking
miller, who could leave him no
moneys or estate when he died;
and me. his mother, who could
leave HIM only to the mercy OF the
world when lite was ended.
But | steeled my heart against
his pleading voice and eyes, and
gave him short angry replies, until
he conld stand it no longer and
hobbled away, slowly and trem-
blingly, toward the mill.
Nv heart cried out for him; but
| siined its reproaches, and gave
vent to my ugly feelings by spite
fully dashiug all manner Of kitchen
utensils out upon the porch. After
the turkeys we're tanned to russell
and gold in The big oven and the
cakes were done, the excitement
that had kept me in q furry all
day suddenly lett me, and sat
down IN the dIsordered kitchen and
had a good, long, hard cry over my
poor boy. Still, l felt that all this
trouble was Dora's fault, and l
tried to hnsh my accusing con-
science by blaming her.
By shutdown, all was ready to
receive the expected guests. Dora
had come so as to help me about
the tables, aud had treated her
80 coldly that her usually bright,
sweet, sunshlny look fled from her
face, and there seemed, oddly
enough, a gloomy cloud spread
ing, sbadow.like, all over the house.
Tom aud jamie came IN late from
the mill, for it wac beng repaired,
and the masters eye" was requir-
ed necessarily. Jamie stopped on
the porch, and before my very eyes
with never o hint that he saw
the anger flashing out Of then-he
drew DOra's fac down to his and
kissed her.
Then was mad and said things
that made them tremble at their
unjust bitterness aud hate. Jamie
never answered me, bat iimped up
stairs to his own room and stayed
there several hours as for Dora,
she disappeared.
By ones and twOs and threes the
guests began 70 congregate in my
little best room untIl 1t was crowd
ed, and they we're forced, for want
Of space, to move on into the other
rooms or scatter about the pOrches
and garden. The young folks
chose the latter place, az the night
was mld as summer itself, and the
big full moon, that seemed too
heavy ever to riseIabOYe our heads,
was floating slowly mp over the
eastern hills. The lovers looked
80 blissful and happy, that it made
me almost sorry ! had driven Dora
and jamie apart by my fearful
tongue flashing, but my bark was
gorse than my bite--and i. was